Drinking device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a drinking device for the retronasal perception of an aroma substance. The drinking device comprises a liquid reservoir that is fillable with drinking liquid, a mouthpiece with a mouth end, a transport tube for drinking liquid with an inner cavity which provides a flow connection between the liquid reservoir and the mouth end of the mouthpiece, and an aroma container for adding an aroma substance to an air flow flowing through the aroma container. The aroma container includes at least one air outlet opening which is in flow connection either with at least one aroma inlet opening into the inner cavity of the transport tube or in flow connection with an aroma channel extending up to the mouth end of the mouthpiece. The liquid reservoir may include an attachment that is to be attached to the body or clothing of a user or to a bag to be worn on the body. The transport tube may have a length of at least 15 cm and preferably a length of at least 20 cm.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a drinking device for the retronasal perceptionof an aroma substance.

PRIOR ART

There is an increasing need to ingest drinking liquids which on the onehand have a pleasant flavor but on the other prevent health risks whichcould be brought about by the ingestion of substances or stabilizingagents dissolved in the drinking liquid. The ingestion of an increasedquantity of calories is also to be avoided.

Water which has been given a slightly fruity aroma has therefore becomepopular in the last few years. However, in this aromatized water thereare also undesired additives such as stabilizing agents and a certainproportion of sugar, which is why these aromatized beverages also have aquantity of calories which is rejected by many users.

A first step towards solving this problem consists in only adding theflavoring aroma to the beverage just before it is consumed. US 2008/028353 A1 and US 2015/030 726 A1 are examples of dosing systems with whichan aroma substance originally provided separately is added to thedrinking liquid and dissolved in it immediately before or during theconsumption of the beverage. Although this measure allows problems suchas the stabilization of the drinking liquid over a prolonged period oftime to be avoided, the problem of the undesired ingestion of additivesremains.

Since the olfactory sensation plays a significant part in gustatoryperception in the consumption of food and beverages, systems to datehave attempted to influence the smell perceived while drinking. To thatend U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,229 proposes an aroma element which can beattached close to the drink opening in a drinking container so that thearoma element is in the immediate proximity of the nose of the user, whobreathes through the nose while drinking and thereby perceives thearoma.

The drinking vessel according to U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,339 B2 also workson the principle that an aroma substance is inhaled through the nosewhile drinking.

A drinking device for the retronasal perception of an aroma substance isdescribed in WO 2020/126210 A1. In this regard, an exchangeable aromacontainer through which air can flow, which can be mounted on the headpart of a drinking device, as well as an air channel for transportingaromatized air, which extends from the aroma container towards the mouthend, are provided.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is based on the object of proposing a drinking devicewhich allows the user to have an improved taste experience and which canbe used in particular during various leisure activities.

This object is solved by a drinking device comprising the features ofclaim 1. Preferred embodiments follow from the other claims and thefollowing description.

The drinking device according to the invention for the retronasalperception of an aroma substance comprises a liquid reservoir which canbe filled with drinking liquid, said liquid reservoir being preferablyprovided with attachment means for attachment to the body or clothing ofa user. Moreover, the drinking device comprises a mouthpiece, atransport tube for drinking liquid with an inner cavity which representsa flow connection between the liquid reservoir and the mouth end of themouthpiece, wherein the transport tube has a length of at least 15 cmand preferably a length of at least 20 cm, and an aroma container foradding an aroma substance to an air flow flowing through the aromacontainer, wherein the aroma container comprises at least one air outletopening which is in flow connection either with at least one aroma inletopening into the inner cavity of the transport tube for drinking liquidor in flow connection with an aroma channel that is separate from theinner cavity of the transport tube and extends up to the mouth end ofthe mouthpiece.

The drinking device for the retronasal perception of an aroma substanceis thus preferably attachable to the body or clothing of a user or to abag to be worn on the body and can, for example, be carried as abackpack or in a conventional backpack so that the user has both handsfree even during the drinking process. The drinking device can beconfigured in such a way that the liquid reservoir can be integratedinto a backpack or carrier bag as part of the clothing of the user.

An aroma container is provided which is suitable for adding an aromasubstance to an air flow flowing through the aroma container.

An essential aspect of the drinking device according to the inventionconsists in that the aroma substance is perceived retronasally. Duringdrinking, the aroma substance reaches the mouth of the user togetherwith the drinking liquid and subsequently rises retronasally via thepharynx to the olfactory mucosa (regio olfactoria), where it is detectedby the receptors situated there and is perceived by the user. The deviceaccording to the invention is equally suited for cold or warm drinkingliquids.

In the retronasal perception of the aroma substance, advantage is takenof the fact that there is a close correlation between the sense of smelland the sense of taste. The user therefore gains the impression thatthey are tasting the aroma, even though they are in fact only smellingit retronasally.

The human sense of taste is essentially determined by the retronasalsense of smell. The receptors of the tongue can only distinguish betweensweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami, whereas the differentiated senseof taste arises in that the gaseous phase of foodstuffs and liquids inthe pharynx ascends via the retronasal route and reaches the olfactorymucosa. The sensors located there trigger neurological stimuli whichcause a taste impression in the brain. Thus, a person to whose pharynxan aroma is delivered during drinking gains the impression that thebeverage is aromatized, since the retronasal smelling process createsthe sensation in the brain that the beverage is the source of the aroma,even though the user is ingesting a pure and unadulterated, i.e.non-aromatized, liquid such as water, for example. If the smell isperceived by breathing in through the nose, known as the orthonasalperception of an aroma substance, this impression does not arise to thesame extent since the sensation is linked to the breathing rate and thusthe user gains the correct impression that they are only smelling thearoma substance, but not tasting it as is the case with retronasalperception.

The liquid reservoir, which is preferably designed to be refillable, canthus contain pure water or carbonated water, while the aroma substanceis delivered to the air flow flowing through the aroma container and thedrinking liquid either before ingestion by the user or is transportedseparately to the pharynx of the user. For this purpose, the air outletopening of the aroma container is either in flow connection with atleast one aroma inlet opening into the inner cavity of the transporttube for drinking liquid or in flow connection with an aroma channelthat is separate from the inner cavity of the transport tube and extendsup to the mouth end of the mouthpiece.

The drinking device according to the invention is equally suitable fordrinking liquids having an inherent taste. The existing taste of thedrinking liquid can either be intensified by the aroma substance fromthe aroma container or be supplemented by one or more additional flavorcomponents. If the liquid reservoir contains apple juice, for instance,apple aroma can be added to intensify the taste experience, or an orangearoma for instance can be added in order to create a blend of flavors.In this manner alcoholic beverages such as beer, for instance, can alsobe provided with additional aroma substances, whereby the particularpreferences of a user can be catered for by using a corresponding aromacontainer in the drinking device according to the invention. Inaddition, flavors which are not common in the food sector can also beused in the drinking device according to the invention, such assandalwood known from air fresheners. The added aroma used can besynthetic or natural. It is possible to use aromas, which have beenisolated or enriched from a synthetic or natural source, and naturalsubstances such as fresh or processed products, for example, lemon peel,dandelion leaves, licorice or other aromatic substances.

When the air outlet opening of the aroma container is in connection withat least one aroma inlet opening into the inner cavity of the transporttube for drinking liquids, the aromatized air is transported in the formof small air bubbles in the drinking liquid. At the mouth end of themouthpiece, the drinking liquid mixed with aromatized air is thusingested by the user.

In the oral cavity of the user, the aromatized air escapes from thesurrounding drinking liquid in the form of air bubbles so that it canrise retronasally via the pharynx to the olfactory mucosa. If there isan aroma channel that is separate from the inner cavity of the transporttube and extends up to the mouth end of the mouthpiece, the aromatizedair does not have to be segregated from the surrounding drinking liquidfirst. A further advantage of separately delivering the aromatized airand the drinking liquid to the mouthpiece consists in that an at mostnegligible mass transfer between the air and the drinking liquid can beavoided.

All solutions described above have in common that the geometries of thetransport tube for drinking liquid and of the aroma inlet opening or thearoma channel are adjusted to each other in such a way that, during thedrinking process, the aromatized air and the drinking liquid are suckedin at the desired quantitative ratio to each other. In this regard, itis essential, however, that the transport tube has a length of at least15 cm and preferably at least 20 cm so that the liquid reservoir of thedrinking device according to the invention can be arranged at asufficient distance to the mouthpiece so that it can be carriedcomfortably on the back, for example.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the liquidreservoir has flexible outer walls. If the liquid reservoir is thusprovided in the form of an elastic bubble, it can collapse during thedrinking process, whereas an air inlet opening is required in a liquidreservoir with a fixed inner volume to provide the necessary pressureequalization during drinking.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an inner volume ofthe liquid reservoir is at least 400 ml, i.e. at least 400 ml ofdrinking liquid can be filled into the liquid reservoir.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the aromacontainer comprises the mouthpiece. This solution has severaladvantages. Firstly, the number of parts is reduced due to the integraldesign of the aroma unit with attached mouthpiece. Furthermore, it canbe achieved that the air outlet opening from the aroma container isautomatically aligned relative to the aroma inlet opening into the innercavity of the transport tube for drinking liquid. Another advantage ofthis solution is that the aromatized air is added to the drinking liquidonly in the direct vicinity of the mouth end, and thus there is noundesired mass transfer between the air and the pure drinking liquid.The essential advantage of this solution, however, is that conventionaldrinking devices can be easily converted and expanded by replacing theexisting mouthpieces with a mouthpiece equipped with the aromacontainer.

According to a preferred embodiment of the container, the aromacontainer can be moved between an activated position and a non-activatedposition, wherein in the activated position an air outlet opening of thearoma container is in flow connection with the transport channel fordrinking liquid, and in the non-activated position there is no flowconnection between the air outlet opening and the transport channel fordrinking liquid.

An air inlet opening into the aroma container for a flow through thearoma container is preferably arranged in such a way that it isessentially sealed in the non-activated position of the aroma container.

The possibility of moving the aroma container between an activatedposition and a non-activated position has the advantage that, if thedrinking device is used only occasionally, the period of use of an aromacontainer can be significantly extended. If there is no flow connectionbetween the air outlet opening and the transport channel for drinkingliquid in the non-activated position, there is no flow through the aromacontainer and the aroma substance remains present in the interior of thearoma container for a significantly longer period.

When providing a drinking device, in which the drinking container can bemoved between an activated position and a non-activated position, thedrinking device according to the invention further comprises anergonomically shaped gripping portion on the side of the aromacontainer, which faces away from the mouthpiece. A user can hold thegripping portion with one hand and move the aroma container between theactivated position and the non-activated position with the other hand.Alternatively, the ergonomically shaped gripping portion can also beconfigured in such a way that at least one of the two movements of thearoma container between the activated position and the non-activatedposition is possible when using only one hand.

Preferably, the drinking device can be sealed against accidental leakingof the drinking liquid by providing a rotary valve, according to a firstpreferred alternative, which tightly seals the transport tube fordrinking liquid when the rotary valve is actuated. In this regard, arotary valve can be inserted in a conventional manner into the transporttube for drinking liquid, which is operated by the user by actuating astopcock or also by actuating a lever.

Since it is important that it is as intuitive as possible for a user todetermine whether or not the transport tube is locked, according to apreferred variant, the entire mouthpiece can be pivoted relative to thetransport tube, making it clearly apparent that the drinking device isnot in the operating position.

An alternative possibility for sealing the drinking device according tothe invention is to provide a bite valve at the mouth end. Bite valvesare known in the art. Simply biting down on the mouthpiece opens thevalve to drink from the drinking device. Providing a bite valve has theadvantage that no additional step is required for the user. Once theuser has become accustomed to actuating the bite valve during thedrinking process, no further actuation step is required and, inparticular, it is not possible to forget to actuate a separatelyprovided sealing member after the drinking process.

Another preferred variant is to combine the desired sealing of thetransport tube for drinking liquid with the sealing of the aromacontainer so that it cannot only be prevented that drinking liquid canaccidentally leak from the drinking device, but air is also preventedfrom flowing through the aroma container. To realize this, according toa preferred embodiment, a sealing member in the form of a squeeze sealis provided, the actuation of which is coupled with the movement of thearoma container between the activated position and the non-activatedposition. In this regard, it seems expedient to provide a squeeze sealsince such seals are as a rule actuated by actuating one or more squeezemembers in a linear shifting movement by means of tapered contactgeometries.

According to an alternative embodiment of the drinking device accordingto the invention, it comprises a sealing member in the form of a sealingplunger. In this regard, the sealing plunger can be arranged in such away that it does not only close the inner cavity of the transport tubesectionally, but at the same time also closes the aroma inlet openinginto the inner cavity of the transport tube. Simultaneously with thesealing of the transport tube, it can thus also be prevented that thereis a flow through the aroma container, without the aroma containerhaving to be movable between an activated position and a non-activatedposition.

Another alternative for a sealing member of the drinking deviceaccording to the invention is that the sealing member comprises at leastone one-way valve. In this regard, a one-way valve can be provided verysimply in the form of a duckbill valve which interrupts the flow ofliquid towards the mouth end and prevents water from entering the aromacontainer. For this purpose, the one-way valve is provided in the flowdirection preferably in front of the aroma inlet opening into the innercavity of the transport tube. Alternatively, another duckbill valve canalso be provided downstream. The advantage of providing at least oneone-way valve is that it does not have to be actuated by the user in aseparate step, but opens automatically when suction pressure is appliedduring the drinking process and correspondingly returns automatically tothe sealing position after the drinking process is complete.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drinkingdevice according to the invention further comprises a hand pump forbuilding up pressure in the inner cavity of the transport tube. The handpump can be used for delivering drinking liquid to the mouth end of themouthpiece also when said mouthpiece is located significantly above thelevel of the liquid reservoir if a long transport tube for drinkingliquid is used. Alternatively, a hand pump can be used for applyingpressure to a rigid liquid reservoir if the internal pressure in theliquid reservoir has dropped during the removal of drinking liquid andthe user can only drink drinking liquid through the mouth end withincreased suction pressure.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tube forliquid is mounted on the liquid reservoir in such a way that it can bepulled out of the liquid reservoir and pushed into the liquid reservoirfor a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the tubefor liquid. In this way, the distance between the liquid reservoir andthe mouthpiece of the drinking device can be adjusted to the wishes of auser or special applications.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the transporttube has a plurality of predetermined bending points. Also in this way,the distance between an outlet from the liquid reservoir and into theinner cavity of the transport tube and the mouthpiece can be adjustedaccording to the needs and wishes of a user.

Another advantage of predetermined bending points is that the drinkingdevice can be transported more safely since unintentional pressure onthe transport tube, for example in a bag during transport, does notresult in damage to the transport tube, since the bending points allowthe transport tube to avoid the action of a force or to adapt to anon-flat contact surface. Furthermore, the drinking device according tothe invention can be transported or stored in a particularlyspace-saving manner.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the transport tubecan be divided in the longitudinal direction of the transport tube. Inthis way, there is an access to inner cavity of the transport tube,which can be cleaned easily.

In this regard, it has turned out to be particularly suitable if thetransport tube has a film hinge which extends in the longitudinaldirection and can be opened in the longitudinal direction. In this way,the two individual elements of the transport tube are connected to eachother so that they can be opened, but cannot be lost. The two annularpartial sections can be cleaned after opening, e.g. under running water.If the transport tube is made of a sufficiently elastic material such assilicone, for example, the transport tube that is slit along a seam inthe longitudinal direction can be opened elastically and automaticallyreturns elastically to the initial position in which, despite the seamextending in the longitudinal direction of the transport channel, aliquid transported in the inner cavity does not leak accidentally at theseam during intended use.

According to a preferred embodiment, the drinking device according tothe invention further comprises a receptacle for the aroma container,into which the aroma container can be inserted and which can be mountedon the transport tube. According to a further preferred embodiment ofthe invention, the aroma container can be mounted on the transport tube,preferably designed to be clipped on, wherein the aroma containercomprises a penetration member suited to penetrate the transport tubewhen mounting the aroma container on the transport tube and to createthe aroma inlet opening. In this way, the aroma container can be usedwith a conventional drinking device since the transport tube does nothave to have a prefabricated aroma inlet opening before mounting thearoma container. Another advantage is that due to the creation of thearoma inlet opening when mounting the aroma container exact positioningof the aroma container is not necessary. The penetration member can havethe further function of fixing the position of the aroma container onthe transport tube.

Preferably, the drinking device according to the invention comprises areceptacle for the aroma container, into which the aroma container canbe inserted and which can be mounted on the transport tube. Thereceptacle thus acts as a receptacle adapter for the aroma container,into which the aroma container can be easily inserted and also removedagain, so that a user is easily enabled to replace aroma containers withdifferent aromas.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drinkingdevice according to the invention further comprises a water filter inflow connection with the transport tube for drinking liquid. Providing awater filter has the advantage that, for example, when using thedrinking device according to the invention on a hike, the liquidreservoir can be refilled with water from a suitable body of runningwater and potential, undesired bacteria, particles and floatingparticles can be filtered out so that the user does not ingest themduring the drinking process.

Preferably, the liquid reservoir of the drinking device according to theinvention comprises a heat-insulating jacket. This serves both to keepcold drinking liquid cool for longer in a warm environment, but alsomade it possible to fill the liquid reservoir with a warm drinkingliquid that stays warm longer, since the heat-insulating jacketsignificantly slows down the heat transfer between the interior of theliquid reservoir and the ambient atmosphere. In the same way, thetransport tube can also have a heat-insulating jacket which eithersurrounds the inner cavity or is provided as additional member aroundthe wall surrounding the inner cavity. A separately provided,heat-insulating jacket can be fixedly mounted on the transport channelfor drinking liquid or be detachable from said transport channel.

In the interior of the aroma container, an aroma chamber is located.Preferably, apart from a carrier substance, a head space is alsoprovided in the aroma chamber between the carrier substance and a wallof the aroma container that closes off the aroma chamber. Providing ahead space improves the mixing of the aromatized air in the aromacontainer. The aroma substance can consist of numerous chemicalcompounds, the mass transfer behavior of which differs from the carriersubstance into the head space of the aroma container. Both differenttransport speeds of different chemical substances may occur anddifferent aromatization compositions may exist within the aroma chamberthat can be homogenized within the head space.

Preferably, a nonwoven fabric is provided as a carrier substance, whichhas high air permeability that is not supposed to lie below 200l/(m²·s). At the same time, air permeability of the nonwoven fabric at adifferential pressure of 100 Pa should preferably not be higher than 500l/(m²·s). The reason for this is that, if the air permeability is toohigh, there is the risk that preferred flow paths are formed within thenonwoven fabric so that the air flow exiting from the aroma containerwould already have a too low degree of aromatization long before thearoma substance has in fact been exhausted. Moreover, the most suitablegeometry of the carrier substance as well as the size of the head spacemay vary depending on the individual aroma substances. Different aromasubstances have different chemical structures influencing their behaviorwith regard to mass transfer and flow properties so that a separateoptimization process can be carried out for each individual flavor inorder to obtain an optimal taste experience.

Preferably, the thickness of the carrier substance with regard to theheight of the aroma chamber is at least 50% and preferably at least 80%of the height between a lower wall of the aroma container and an upperwall.

Preferably, the aroma container has an essentially annular geometry sothat the aroma container can be arranged around the transport tube,resulting in a weight distribution that is perceived as particularlycomfortable by a user. In this regard, the outer cross-section of thetransport tube may deviate from an exact circular shape and the geometryof the aroma container may also deviate from an exact circular shape, tointeract with a complementarily shaped transport tube in such a way thatonly a single radial orientation of the aroma container relative to thetransport tube is possible, allowing the exact radial position of thearoma container to be defined relative to the transport tube. In thisway, it can be ensured that with regard to the exact radial position theair outlet opening of the aroma container concurs with the aroma inletopening into the inner cavity of the transport tube for drinking liquid.If the aroma container can be moved between an activated position and anon-activated position, the aroma container can be moved in thelongitudinal direction of the transport tube, but not radially movedrelative to the transport tube, and thus the flow connection between theair outlet opening and the transport tube for drinking liquid can beinterrupted and restored by a simple shifting movement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the device according to the inventionare apparent from the following description of embodiments withreference to the enclosed drawings. In these drawings,

FIG. 1 schematically shows the essential components of the drinkingdevice according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a drinking device according to FIG. 1 with additionalcomponents;

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show a further variant of the drinking deviceaccording to the invention with a rigid liquid reservoir;

FIGS. 4 a, 4 b and 4 c show an embodiment with a transport tube that canbe divided; FIG. 4 a shows an overall view, FIG. 4 b shows that thetransport tube can be divided and FIG. 4 c shows an enlarged view of thesection marked in FIG. 4 b;

FIG. 5 shows a first design alternative of a bendable transport tube;

FIGS. 6 a, 6 b and 6 c show another alternative of a bendable transporttube; FIG. 6 a shows an overall view, FIG. 6 b shows the transport tubein a sectional view and FIG. 6 c shows an exterior view on the transporttube in the bended state;

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b show another embodiment of a transport tube which isexpandable in the longitudinal direction;

FIGS. 8 a and 8 b show another configuration of an expandable transporttube;

FIGS. 9 a and 9 b show a possible mounting of an aroma container on thetransport tube;

FIG. 9 a shows a partial section through the transport tube and thearoma container mounted thereon and FIG. 9 b shows an exploded view ofthe used adapter;

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b show a first alternative of a clamping device; FIG.10 a shows the unactuated state and FIG. 10 b shows the actuated statein partial section;

FIG. 11 shows a second alternative clamping device in a sectional view;

FIG. 12 shows a third alternative clamping device in a sectional view;

FIGS. 13 a, 3 b and 3 c show a fourth alternative clamping device; FIG.13 a shows a schematic exterior view, FIG. 13 b shows a partialsectional view in the unclamped state and FIG. 13 c shows the clampedstate in a partial sectional view;

FIGS. 14 a and 14 b show a fifth alternative embodiment of a sealingdevice;

FIGS. 15 a and 15 b show a unit for retrofitting existing drinkingdevices;

FIGS. 16 a, 16 b and 16 c show an alternative possibility for mountingthe aroma container on a transport tube, FIG. 15 a schematically showsthe unmounted state and FIGS. 15 b and 15 c show the actuation of thearoma container in the mounted state; and

FIGS. 17 a and 17 b show an exterior view and a sectional view of analternative embodiment of the drinking device according to the inventionwith an aroma channel extending to the mouth end.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic exterior view of the essential components ofthe drinking device 10 according to the invention. The drinking deviceconsists of a liquid reservoir 12, which can be attached to the body orclothing of a user by means of optionally provided attachment means 13,as well as a transport tube 20 with an inner cavity 22, through whichthe liquid stored inside the liquid reservoir 12 can be transportedtowards a mouthpiece 26 with a mouth end 28.

The liquid reservoir 12 can suitably have an insulating layer 14 whichdelays heat transfer between the inner cavity of the liquid reservoirand the ambient atmosphere so that hot or cold drinks filled into theliquid reservoir longer keep the desired temperature difference to theambient atmosphere. In the same way, the transport tube can also beinsulated.

For convenient filling of the drinking liquid into the liquid reservoir12 by a user, a screw cap 16 is provided to close a filling opening intothe liquid reservoir 12.

The transport tube 20 is either attached tightly to an outlet opening 18of the liquid reservoir or the transport tube 20 extends through theoutlet opening 18 and into the interior of the liquid reservoir 12. Whenthe transport tube extends into the interior of the liquid reservoir,the length of the transport tube between the liquid reservoir and themouth end 26 can be adjusted to the needs of a user.

All embodiments of the invention have in common that the length of thetransport tube 20 between the outlet opening 18 and the mouthpiece 26 ispreferably more than 35 cm, since otherwise the drinking device isunwieldy for a user.

The attachment of the transport tube 20 to the liquid reservoir 12 canbe configured in a non-detachable manner. Alternatively, however, thetransport tube 20 can be detachably attached to the liquid reservoir 12.If the transport tube 20 is detachably attached to the liquid reservoir,the fixation can be realized by a screw thread, a bayonet connection, byproviding clamps or hose clips, but also by an interference fit andpress-fitting.

The core element of the drinking device according to the invention is anaroma container 24 which is provided close to the mouthpiece 26 in thepresent embodiment example, but can similarly also be provided on orclose to the outlet opening 18 of the liquid reservoir 12 or in thecourse of the transport tube 20 that is at least 15 cm long. The aromacontainer serves for adding an aroma substance to an air flow flowingthrough the aroma container. For this purpose, the aroma container hasat least one air outlet opening which is in flow connection either withan aroma inlet opening into the inner cavity 22 of the transport tube 20for drinking liquid or in flow connection with an aroma channelextending, separately from the inner cavity 22 of the transport tube, upto the mouth end 28 of the mouthpiece. In this way, the aroma substanceis ingested retronasally and, during drinking, reaches the mouth of theuser together with the drinking liquid, where the aroma substancesubsequently rises retronasally via the pharynx to the olfactory mucosa,is detected by the receptors situated there and is perceived by the useras a flavor. The preferred structure of the aroma container will beexplained in more detail within the description of further embodiments.

The embodiment of the drinking device 10 according to FIG. 2 differs inonly a few aspects from the embodiment according to FIG. 1 , andtherefore only the specific differences will be addressed here.

In the drinking device according to FIG. 2 , an attachment means 13 isschematically illustrated which enables attachment of the liquidreservoir 12 on the belt of a user.

Additionally, an ergonomic grip 30 is provided in the drinking deviceaccording to FIG. 2 , which can be comfortably gripped by a user andwhich is particularly expedient if the aroma container 24 can be movedbetween an activated position and a non-activated position in thedirection of the arrow A. Thus, a user can grip the ergonomic grip 30with one hand and move the aroma container 24 between the activeposition and the non-active position with the other hand by shifting thearoma container 24 in the direction of arrow A. Only in the activeposition, aromatized air can exit through the air outlet opening of thearoma container, whereas the air outlet opening is closed in thenon-activated position, and thus the aroma substance contained in thearoma container can be retained even during longer periods when thedrinking device is not being used.

Another aspect of the drinking device shown in FIG. 2 is to provide ahand pump 32 that can be operated by a user to either pressurize theliquid reservoir 12 or deliver the drinking liquid towards the mouth end28.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b each show liquid reservoirs 12 that are not flexible,but constitute rigid vessels. By providing a flexible transport tube 20,said transport tube can be pulled out of the liquid reservoir throughthe outlet opening 18 and pushed into it again, as illustrated in FIGS.3 a and 3 b . In this regard, a relatively short transport tube 20 isshown for ease of illustration. The design of the aroma container 24 aswell as the mouthpiece 26 can be the same as in the embodimentsaccording to FIGS. 1 and 2 .

In contrast to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the liquidreservoir 12 does not have a separate filling opening for drinkingliquid. The screw cap 16, which is provided for filling in drinkingliquid, is provided with the outlet opening 18 for the transport tube20. Described later by means of various embodiments are variousalternatives as to the manner in which the transport tube may beconfigured so that the transport tube, the length of which isparticularly preferably more than 35 cm according to the invention, canbe essentially accommodated in the interior of the liquid reservoir 12.

The combined provision of a screw cap for the filling opening and theprovision of an outlet opening for the transport tube in the screw capcan, however, also be used in the same way in a flexible liquidreservoir.

In FIGS. 4 a to 4 c , an option is illustrated how the transport tube 20can be configured so that it can be cleaned more easily. The drinkingdevice according to the invention is primarily intended for users whowish to drink pure water, but who wish to provide it with certainflavors. Equally, the drinking device according to the invention is alsosuitable for other cold and hot drinks that require cleaning of theliquid reservoir and of the inner cavity 22 of the transport tube afteruse. For this purpose, the transport tube 20 can be dividable into twoparts 20 a and 20 b. In this regard, the two U-shaped elements 20 a, 20b are inserted into each other via suitable tongue-and-grooveconnections and moved against each other in the longitudinal direction.The dividable transport tube 20 according to FIGS. 4 a to 4 c can thusbe cleaned easily.

As an alternative to the embodiment of a transport tube, as illustratedin FIGS. 4 a to 4 c , the transport tube 20 can also have a film hingeand have a tongue-and-groove connection point in the longitudinaldirection so that the transport tube 20 can be opened and the walllimiting the inner cavity 22 can be easily cleaned. Said film hinge canalso be configured in such a way that the transport tube 20 is made of aflexible material such as silicone, for example, so that it can beopened.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 5 , the transport tube 20 hasaccordion-like bending points 34, as known from plastic drinking straws.In contrast to plastic drinking straws, however, a plurality of suchbending points 34 is provided so that the transport tube can be foldedinside the liquid reservoir and/or outside the liquid reservoir in anymanner and not be damaged. The solution illustrated in FIG. 5 is ofinterest if the sections of the transport tube, which are locatedbetween said bending points 34, are not sufficiently flexible as suchfor the transport tube to assume a strongly curved to folded shape. Thebending points serve for individually adjusting the transport tube bothwith regard to the desired length and with regard to the position of theliquid reservoir relative to the mouth of the user.

In FIGS. 6 a to 6 c , an alternative configuration of the transport tube20 is illustrated, which has a plurality of narrowings 36 serving aspredetermined bending points, as apparent from the illustrationaccording to FIG. 6 c . Since the transport tube is provided with anappropriate number of predetermined bending points, said transport tubecan be adjusted to different liquid reservoirs with different interiorgeometries, but can also assume a course outside the liquid reservoir,depending on the attachment of the liquid reservoir to the body orclothing of a user, to conveniently reach the mouth of the user. If, asschematically illustrated in FIG. 6 b , the narrowings 36 do not reducethe volume of the inner cavity 22 to an excessive degree, there is onlya small additional pressure loss for the transport of the drinkingliquid through the inner cavity of the transport tube.

Another possible embodiment of the transport tube 20 is that it isconfigured in such a way that the length of the transport tube can bereduced or increased. The design of the transport tube illustrated inFIGS. 7 a and 7 b as expandable tube 38 can be provided only partiallyor along the entire length of the transport tube 20.

Another possible design option for the entire transport tube 20 or onlyparts thereof is configuring it as a flexible, spiral-shaped tube 50, asillustrated in FIGS. 8 a and 8 b , whereby the distance between themouthpiece 26 and the liquid reservoir can be adjusted as desired to theneeds of a user.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 9 a and 9 b , the aroma container24 does not extend around the transport tube 20, but is inserted into anadapter 40. For this purpose, an aroma container is inserted in section40 b of the adapter in the direction of the arrow C, whereby theconnection between the adapter and the aroma container is established,as illustrated in FIG. 9 a.

As shown in the sectional view in FIG. 9 a , the aroma container 24 hasan air outlet opening 42 which leads, via an aroma passage 46, to thearoma inlet opening 44 opening into the inner cavity 22 of the transporttube 20.

In this regard, the adapter 40 is configured in multiple parts and canconsist of parts 40 a and 40 b that are clipped on around the transporttube 20. In this regard, the aroma passage 46 can comprise a penetrationmember which penetrates the wall of the transport tube, when the twoparts 40 a and 40 b of the adapter are attached around the transporttube 20, and thus creates the aroma inlet opening 44.

The advantage of the design according to FIGS. 9 a and 9 b is that theadapter can be used to select any attachment position along the lengthof the transport tube. Moreover, existing systems with a drinking tubeas transport tube can be easily modified since existing systems are notprovided with an aroma inlet opening 44 which is automatically createdwhen the adapter is attached to the transport tube.

FIG. 9 b additionally shows a mounting attachment 48 which can have across-sectional shape deviating from an annular shape, if a not entirelyannular aroma container is used, and thus the aroma container 24 canonly be inserted in a defined rotational position relative to theadapter, in which the air outlet opening 42 from the aroma container 24is aligned with the aroma passage 46.

In the embodiment according FIGS. 10 a and 10 b , a clamping device isprovided which is coupled to a movement of the aroma container 24 in thedirection of the arrow A. In this regard, the aroma container accordingto FIG. 10 a is located further above in the drawing plane of the figureand thus in the activated position in which a flow connection existsbetween the air outlet opening from the aroma container and an air inletopening either into the inner cavity of the transport tube or into aseparately provided aroma passage. The clamping device comprises atleast one squeeze member 52 which is/are moved towards each other whenthe aroma container 24 is moved downwards from the activated positioninto the non-activated position and which, as illustrated in FIG. 10 b ,squeeze the flexible outer wall of the transport tube 22 so that theinner cavity 22 is sectionally closed. Thus, a user does not have toactuate the clamping device separately, but it is actuated automaticallyas soon as the aroma container is moved between the activated andnon-activated position. The squeeze members can be elastically deformedso that they automatically return to the open position in FIG. 10 a assoon as the aroma container is moved back to the activated position.However, a suitable elastic member can also be provided which builds upa pretension with which the two squeeze members are pushed apart.

An alternative embodiment of a clamping device is schematicallyillustrated in the sectional view in FIG. 11 . An aroma container 24 isschematically illustrated, the air outlet opening 42 of which isconnected via an aroma passage 46 with the air inlet opening 44 into theinner cavity 22 of the transport tube 20. The clamping device functionsin such a way that a squeezing plunger 54 is shifted from a firstposition not engaged with the outer wall of the transport tube 20 intothe second position illustrated in FIG. 11 , in which the transport tubeis sectionally squeezed together so that the aroma passage 46 is tightlyclosed in the area of the aroma inlet opening 44.

In contrast to the embodiment according to FIGS. 10 a and 10 b , inwhich the clamping device only prevents liquid transport through theinner cavity of the transport tube, the clamping device according toFIG. 11 has the dual function of interrupting both the liquid transportthrough the inner cavity 22 and preventing the undesired leakage ofaroma substance from the aroma container 24, which is brought about inthe embodiment according to FIGS. 10 a and 10 b by shifting the aromacontainer between the activated position and the non-activated position.

In FIG. 12 , another possible configuration of a clamping device isillustrated. In the embodiment according to FIG. 12 , at least oneone-way valve 56 is located in the inner cavity 22 of the transport tube20, which opens only when a suction pressure is applied to themouthpiece 26 and which enables liquid to pass through towards themouthpiece. The provision of the one-way valve configured as duckbillvalve in FIG. 12 has the effect of not only preventing undesirablesubstances from entering the transport tube through the mouthpiece, butalso of being able to interrupt the flow of liquid towards the mouthend.

In the embodiment example according to FIG. 12 , two duckbill valves areprovided which are located upstream and downstream in relation to thearoma inlet opening 44 into the inner cavity 22. Therefore, the twoone-way valves also have the additional effect of preventing undesiredleakage of aroma when the drinking device is not used and/or preventingdrinking liquid from entering the aroma container 24.

In FIG. 12 , the aroma container is shown in partial section, which canextend in an essentially annular manner around the transport tube 20. Inthis regard, the aroma container 24 has a hollow chamber 82 in which acarrier material 58 is located that is soaked with the aroma substance.In this regard, the carrier material 58 can be a nonwoven fabric. Abovethe carrier material 58 is a head space 60 which is filled only with airand serves to homogenize the aromatized air. By means of acircumferential gripping edge 64, the aroma container can be easilyactuated and, for example, as described in some of the aboveembodiments, be moved in the direction of the arrow A between anactivated and a non-activated position. In FIG. 12 , the activatedposition is illustrated in which the air outlet opening 42 of the aromacontainer 24 is in flow connection with the aroma inlet opening 44 intothe inner cavity 22 of the transport tube 20.

The aroma container consists of the housing halves 62 a and 62 b whichare closed after the carrier material has been inserted and soaked witharoma substance.

In FIGS. 13 a to 13 c , a further alternative for a clamping device isillustrated. In this regard, a stop valve 66 is used which can bepivoted between the positions illustrated in FIGS. 13 b and 13 c . Inthe position illustrated in FIG. 13 b , there is an alignment betweenthe passage 70 by means of a rotatable member 68 of the stop valve 66and the inner cavity 22 so that the liquid can flow through the innercavity 22 from the liquid reservoir to the mouthpiece 26. In theposition illustrated in FIG. 13 c , the unit consisting of aromacontainer 24 and mouthpiece 26 is pivoted by 90° in relation to theadjacent course of the tube 20 for liquid. This has the consequencethat, due to the rotatable member 68, the passage 70 is no longer inflow connection with the inner cavity 22 of the transport tube and thusthe liquid supply towards the mouthpiece 26 is interrupted. Asillustrated in FIGS. 13 b and 13 d , the two operating states are veryeasy to recognize for the user so that there is no uncertainty whetherthe clamping device is open or closed.

An alternative design of a stop valve 66 with a rotatable member 68 anda passage 70 is illustrated in FIGS. 14 a and 14 b . In this regard,FIG. 14 a shows the state in which the liquid can flow through the innercavity 22 of the transport tube 20. In this operating state, the stopvalve 66 has been brought into the open state by means of a lever 71. Inthis regard, not only the flow connection for drinking liquid within theinner cavity 22 through the passage 70 is established, but also thearoma passage 46 is in connection with a connecting passage 47 whichopens into the passage 70 so that in the open state of the sealingdevice, as illustrated in FIG. 14 a , not only the flow of liquid isenabled simultaneously, but also the intake of aromatized air into theliquid flow flowing into the inner cavity.

If the actuating lever 71 is pivoted into the closed position, asillustrated in FIG. 14 b , the flow connection in the inner cavity 22 isinterrupted by the rotatable member 68 as well as the flow connectionbetween the aroma passage 46 and the connecting passage 47 into thepassage 70 is interrupted. Thus, the user can simultaneously prevent theundesired passage of liquid and leakage of aroma by actuating a lever.

In FIGS. 15 a and 15 b , an embodiment is illustrated which allowsconvenient modification of existing drinking devices, for example in theform of an existing hydration backpack. In this regard, a unit 72consisting of the mouthpiece 26, the aroma container 24 and a connectingmember 74 is provided, which has a geometry similar to a piece of pipeand is suited to be inserted into the transport tube or be slipped overthe transport tube, where it is held by friction fit. Moreover, aholding strap 76 is provided which establishes a fixed connectionbetween the transport tube 20 and the unit 72 so that the unit 72 isfixedly connected with the transport tube. The advantage of this designis that the unit 72 can be cleaned easily. Moreover, the user can decideindividually whether to use the attachment or not and thus whether toconsume the drink with or without aromatization.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 16 a to 16 c , the aroma containeris attached anywhere in the course between the liquid reservoir and themouth end. For this purpose, an insert 78 a, 78 b is provided on bothsides of the aroma container 20, by means of which the aroma containercan either be inserted into two partial sections of the transport tube20 or be mounted on the outlet opening of the liquid reservoir and beattached on the opposite side on the transport tube. The inserts 78 a,78 b are the ends of a member penetrating the annular aroma container,in which the aroma inlet opening 44 is located. Additionally, an upperstopper 80 a and a lower stopper 80 b are provided. The upper stopperand the lower stopper serve as stopper when sliding the transport tubesections 20 onto the inserts and as stopper when moving the aromacontainer 24 between an activated and a non-activated position in thedirection of the arrow A. In FIGS. 16 b and 16 c , the activatedposition and the non-activated position are illustrated in which thearoma container 24 either abuts at the lower stopper 80 b or at theupper stopper 80 b, and thus the movement in the direction of the arrowA between the activated position and the non-activated position becomeseasier for the user.

In FIGS. 17 a and 17 b , another embodiment is illustrated in which thetransport tube 20 has a separately provided aroma channel 84 in whichthe aromatized air is transported up to the mouth end 28. The aromacontainer in the embodiment according to FIG. 17 a does not have acompletely circular shape, but has a free inner cross-section having adrop shape and thus deviating from the annular shape. In the area of asupport flange 90 as a seat for the aroma container, the transport tubeis also provided with a drop shape so that the aroma container can onlybe inserted into the drinking device in the correct angular positionrelative to the transport tube 20. The mouth end 28, on the other hand,may in turn be circular in shape. Moreover, a lid 88 is provided withwhich the drinking device can be closed at the mouth end 28, when it isnot in use.

In FIG. 17 b , it is illustrated how, after correct insertion of thearoma container, the air outlet opening 42 opens into the aroma channel84 which extends up to the mouth end 28 of the drinking device inparallel to the inner cavity 22. In the configuration according to FIGS.17 a and 17 b , which can moreover also be realized in all embodimentsdescribed above in which the aroma container is arranged in directvicinity of the mouthpiece, the aromatized air and the drinking liquidseparately enter the mouth of the user so that no segregation of theliquid and the aromatized air has to take place in the oral cavity.

The design of an aroma container which is annular, but deviates from acompletely annular shape to define the correct angle position, can alsobe realized in all of the above embodiments.

The insulation of the liquid reservoir, as described in connection withFIG. 1 , can be provided e.g. by means of bubble wrap or a neoprenesleeve. In the same way, the transport tube 20 can also be insulated sothat the drinking liquid is not heated or at least heated more slowly bysolar radiation during hiking, for example.

Apart from the above-described, specific embodiments for clampingdevices, a bite valve could also be provided with which pressure isexerted on the valve with the teeth during the drinking process, wherebythe inner cavity opens and the drinking liquid can be sucked.

The attachment means 13 illustrated by means of FIGS. 1 and 2 can beused for configuring the drinking device according to the invention inthe form of a hydration backpack, a hydration belt or a belt bag.

In order to have different flavors available during leisure activities,according to another embodiment of the invention that is not shown, itis possible to fixedly attach another aroma container, which is notcurrently in use, to the liquid reservoir. In this regard, the airoutlet opening is preferably closed at the same time so that there is noundesired leakage of aroma.

In the area of the transport tube 20, a water filter can be additionallyprovided so that impure water can be freed of bacteria, for example, andfloating particles can be removed. In the same way, however, lime orother undesirable water components can be removed specifically. For thispurpose, the water filter can comprise activated carbon or a membraneknown in the art for filtering water.

1. A drinking device for the retronasal perception of a drinking liquid,comprising: a liquid reservoir that is fillable with drinking liquid; amouthpiece with a mouth end; a transport tube for drinking liquid withan inner cavity which provides a flow connection between the liquidreservoir and the mouth end of the mouthpiece; wherein the transporttube has a length of at least 15 cm; and an aroma container for addingan aroma substance to an air flow flowing through the aroma container;wherein the aroma container includes at least one air outlet openingwhich is in flow connection either with at least one aroma inlet openinginto the inner cavity of the transport tube for drinking liquid or inflow connection with an aroma channel extending up to the mouth end ofthe mouthpiece.
 2. The drinking device according to claim 1, wherein theliquid reservoir has flexible outer walls.
 3. The drinking deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the aroma container includes themouthpiece.
 4. The drinking device according to claim 1, wherein thearoma container is movable between an activated position and anon-activated position; wherein in the activated position, the airoutlet opening of the aroma container is in flow connection with thetransport tube for drinking liquid; and in the non-activated position,there is no flow connection between the air outlet opening and thetransport tube for drinking liquid.
 5. The drinking device according toclaim 4, further comprising an ergonomically shaped grip on a side ofthe aroma container, which faces away from the mouthpiece.
 6. Thedrinking device according to claim 1, further comprising a bite valve atthe mouth end of the mouthpiece.
 7. The drinking device according toclaim 1, further comprising a sealing member which includes a rotaryvalve.
 8. The drinking device according to claim 4, further comprising asealing member which includes a squeeze seal, the actuation of which iscoupled with the movement of the aroma container between the activatedposition and the non-activated position.
 9. The drinking deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising a sealing member which includesa sealing plunger.
 10. The drinking device according to claim 1, furthercomprising a sealing member which includes at least one one-way valve.11. The drinking device according to claim 1, further comprising a handpump configured to build up pressure in the inner cavity of thetransport tube.
 12. The drinking device according to claim 1, whereinthe transport tube is mounted on the liquid reservoir in such a way thatthe transport tube can be pulled out of the liquid reservoir and pushedinto the liquid reservoir for a predetermined distance in thelongitudinal direction of the transport tube.
 13. The drinking deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the transport tube has a plurality ofpredetermined bending points.
 14. The drinking device according to claim1, wherein the transport tube is configured to be divided in thelongitudinal direction of the transport tube.
 15. The drinking deviceaccording to claim 14, wherein the transport tube has a film hinge whichextends in the longitudinal direction and is configured to be opened inthe longitudinal direction.
 16. The drinking device according to claim1, further comprising a receptacle for the aroma container, into whichthe aroma container is insertable and which can be mounted on thetransport tube.
 17. The drinking device according to claim 1, furthercomprising a water filter in flow connection with the transport tube fordrinking liquid.
 18. The drinking device according to claim 1, whereinthe liquid reservoir includes a heat-insulating jacket.
 19. The drinkingdevice according to claim 20, wherein the attachment includes anattachment configured to be attached to a belt or an attachmentconfigured to be draped over the shoulder of a user or an attachmentconfigured to be carried as a backpack.
 20. The drinking deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the liquid reservoir includes anattachment configured to be attached to the body or clothing of a useror to a bag to be worn on the body.
 21. The drinking device according toclaim 1, wherein the transport tube has a length of at least 20 cm. 22.The drinking device according to claim 7, wherein the rotary valve isconfigured to be actuated by pivoting the transport tube in the area ofthe rotary valve or by pivoting a lever.